Steven's Corner - Setapak

Restoran Sri Steven's Corner

Lot 9136, Jalan 2/23D

Prima Setapak, Jalan Genting Klang

53300 Kuala Lumpur

+60340229018

(Coordinates: 3° 11' 56.50", 101° 42' 49.50")

Brendan had a hankering for chicken curry (what's new?) so we ended up coming here. We actually frequent the Pandan Indah outlet but the distance and dearth of parking dissuaded us.

Unlike the Pandan Indah outlet, this outlet is refreshing in its size (for a claustrophobe like me, the high ceiling was a welcomed difference). We've never been here at night but we hear they do rip-roaring business. Lunchtime (on a weekend) however, was a different proposition. We had the whole place to ourselves and there were hardly 5 occupied tables.

prima setapak, you won't miss it!

nice high ceilinged outlet

we had the whole place to ourselves

To be honest the dishes were pretty much the standard Mamak fare. I think the main draw here is the layout and size of the place. If you have a party of say 20 friends then this is a place that’ll cater to your needs. Also, Cat is impressed with how the outlet is kept clean.

what to eat?

Brendan's having.. you guesssed it!

the usual mamak fare

met with Cat's hygienic standards.. hehe

The damage? We each had rice with a variety of dishes (the trick is in keeping your eyes where your stomach is, and sticking to only one meat dish) plus drinks that came up to RM21. At RM7 per person it’s still value for money in Kuala Lumpur.

Brendan had.. what else?

Cat & I had the same chicken..

ooo.. the rasam wasn't too bad:)

Aptly in the category of the everyday food for the everyday person, this place is recommended if only for its price and ease of access.

Capital Cafe

Capital Cafe

(in front of Sogo Shopping Complex)

213 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman

50100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +60123585736

Coordinates: 3.156028, 101.696251

Happy Malaysia Day :-)

This has got to be on the top of our list of been-here-so-often-its-taken-for-granted kind of restaurants. It’s a stone’s throw away from our condo, and it’s been our default breakfast joint since we moved in some 6 years ago.

the architecture alone will draw you in..

right across from Sogo Shopping Complex

It harks back to the days of family run restaurants. Believe you me; this shop has been around for ages! The present proprietor inherited this from his father, and his father before him. The ambience takes me back to my own childhood where I used to slurp my hot beverage with a saucer, not a cup.

the rojak stall usually occupies the centre.. off day I guess

Try the fried bee hoon or the hokkien mee, most delicious:)

Those who’ve been here will attest to the fact that this is a truly Malaysian coffee shop. The proprietor occupies the right hand side; he provides beverages. An old Chinese uncle has a little nook to fry his rice and/or noodles. When Brendan was little he absolutely adored the fried bee hoon.

In the centre, a couple of Indian Muslims run their Rojak stall. The rojak is among the best I’ve had outside of Penang. At the left hand side of the shop however, is the main attraction. The Nasi Padang here draws not only locals, but food lovers from all over the country.

this is THE best nasi padang in Kuala Lumpur, bar none:)

been coming here since my teens..

The Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman / Jalan Masjid India area has always been close to my heart, for it was here that I spent most of my young adult life. I did my A levels at Stamford College along Jalan Bunus nearby, and this area is ingrained into my psyche. I guess on a subconscious level I’ve always tended to gravitate here, and eventually made my home here. Capital Cafe played a big part of my formative years.

the proprietor (3rd generation, I think?)

oo la la

my kinda breakfast

Some may have Roti Canai, Nasi Lemak, Wan Tan Mee or even bacon and eggs in mind when thinking of breakfast. For me, breakfast means toast bread, Malaysian style with coffee served in that inimitable ceramic cup.

Oh, and one last thing. If you're ever in the neighbourhood do drop in, even if its only to savour a piece of history this shop has to offer. You see, the proprietor has a collection of photographs from some 40 years ago depicting Kuala Lumpur and specifically his area.

priceless!

Caveat Emptor: Thariy Creative (Buyer Beware)

Thariy Creative (beside Secret Recipe)

Ground Floor, Central Market Annexe
Lot KB36, Jalan Hang Kasturi
50500, Kuala Lumpur
Coordinates: 3.143861, 101.695558

Thariy Creative? yeah, very 'creative' with excuses..

(I don't usually do this, but I just could not hold my tongue anymore... and I don't usually swear in cyberspace!)

Preamble: “Caveat Emptor’ or ‘Let the Buyer Beware’ simply means it is at the buyer's risk: the commercial principle that the buyer is responsible for making sure that goods bought are of a reasonable quality, unless the seller is offering a guarantee of their quality.

Have you ever had a design you wished immortalized on a T-shirt? A favourite picture of a loved one? An image of your favourite 80s glam-rock band? Well, in Central Market there are plenty of stalls to cater to these wishes. If you’ve ever had the urge to do so, this stall is NOT the place you’d want to place your order with!

Some time back, Brendan and I were kicking some ideas around about what we wanted printed onto our custom-made T-shirts. He wanted an Avenged Sevenfold with his name in the same font as the band on his, while I’ve always wanted a Spartan (the logo from my car club) on mine. After doing some research online, we settled on the designs. Armed with the designs, we headed to Central Market on the 21st of August. There we had the misfortune of landing at the stall of this interesting (to say the least) character Azli, who runs Thariy Creative.

He seemed to understand exactly what we wanted in our designs, and he seemed genuine. In his mid to late forties who boasted of his experiences in the business which spanned some 30 odd years, I was thinking to myself: What could go wrong? He explained that he would be creating a mould/template and once ready, it will be off to the Printers’. Simple as that (or so I thought!). Taken in by his smooth talking, I actually paid in full... KNNBCCB!!!

A price was agreed, and the T-shirts were promised by Thursday the 25th of August. The day in question came and went; Cat was only able to pick up the T-shirts on Friday the 26th of August. Lo and behold, the smiling affable Azli was replaced by a sullen and hurried mustard (with a capital B) who arrogantly proclaimed: “Kan dah cakap, siap sebelum Hari Raya... apasal datang hari ni?” or “Didn’t I tell you it will be ready by Hari Raya (Eid-Ul Fitr)... why are you here today?”

Suitably cheezed off, Cat still had the patience to bite her tongue and came again on Monday the 29th of August (since Hari Raya fell on the following day, Tuesday the 30th of August). This time, the mustard (with a capital B) was missing in action and a staff member was hastily closing shop (it was only 2PM!)... KNNBCCB!!!

I frantically called his cell phone throughout the day and into the night, and he refused to answer. I must have called him a hundred times but the mustard (with a capital B) didn’t have the decency to pick up. Steaming mad as I was, good sense prevailed and I refrained from harrassing him during his festive period (which lasted from the 30th of August to the 1st of September). I resumed calling the mustard (with a capital B) every day after that, from the 2nd till the 4th of September to no avail.

The mustard (with a capital B) finally answered on Monday the 5th of September and professed his apologies. He got an earful, and I was particularly upset with the fact that Cat was treated like an absolute fool throughout the entire episode. He explained that his Printers was not up to scratch and failed to meet his dateline. When asked, the mustard (with a capital B) said the Printer was in Batang Kali. He then promised to have the T-shirts ready the next day. I told the mustard (with a capital B) that if the T-shirts were not ready then, I expected a full refund. He agreed.

Guess what? The following day (Tuesday) he then said the T-shirts (printed in Batang Kali) failed to meet his ‘standards of excellence’ (sic) and said he’ll be getting another Printer from Rawang to get the job done... KNNBCCB!!! By this time I had given up on getting a straight answer from this mustard (with a capital B). I left it at that, and planned to get back to him on Friday the 9th of September.

He actually called on Thursday the 8th of September but I was not able to answer as I was knocked out from a severe bout of diarrhoea. I called him on Friday the 9^th of September as intended but the mustard (with a capital B) spun another yarn about Printers this and Printers that... nothing new. I called him again on Saturday the 10^th of September but the mustard (with a capital B) didn’t answer.

The saga continues...

unless you  really, really loved the merry-go-round as a child, avoid this stall like the plague!

Yesterday, I went to Central Market at 1PM to surprise the mustard (with a capital B) and have a face-to-face but do you know what? The mustard (with a capital B) was nowhere to be seen, and his stall unattended. I called his cell phone only to be told that he was out for lunch, and that he’ll be back in an hour. I suspect that he was tipped off (my tattoos are a dead give-away) and made haste as soon as he (or someone he knew) saw me coming. The mustard (with a capital B) promised to call back after lunch (yeah, right!).

I called him after lunch and he said that he will be collecting the T-shirts from Batang Kali later that afternoon as soon as he gets someone to help man his stall. Whatever happened to the Printers from Rawang, eh? I called the mustard (with a capital B) up again at 6:30PM yesterday only to be told that he was not able to go to Batang Kali. He said that he will collect it later last night after business hours and asked me how late I would be staying up. I told him I'll be up as late as it was going to take! KNNBCCB!!!

I called the mustard (with a capital B) up again at 10:00PM to remind him of his promise. He said he in the midst of closing shop and will head up to Batang Kali pronto. I also reminded him I'll be up the whole night if need be so he had no choice but to make good on his (so far empty) promises.

The mustard (with a capital B) called me back at 12:30AM today (hallelujah!) to inform that he is at the Printers at Batang Kali. Hmm... 50 kilometres in 2.5 hours? He said the T-shirts are now ‘up to scratch’ (sic) but for some minor adjustments. He will wait for the T-shirts to be done and have them stored in his car ready to be delivered to me later this Monday morning. Brilliant!

I gave him the whole day and ended up calling him at 2PM, he said the T-shirts are with him at the stall and he was willing to meet me at the Masjid Jamek LRT Station. We met at 3PM, I took possession of the T-shirts, I bade him farewell and good riddance.

My T-shirts? I honestly do not know if my impression has been coloured but I had the distinct feeling I was shortchanged. The T-shirts felt light and thin to the touch and was inferior in quality (like the white Pagoda T-shirts old chinese uncles would wear). The ink was not evenly distributed across the T-shirt, too thin across some sections while too thick across other sections.

Brendan’s T-shirt thankfully came out as good as it ever was going to get and actually came close to what we had in mind.

The morale of the story? At the risk of offending some dear friends of mine, in Bolehland sadly most stereotypes are with merit.

Secret Recipe - Taipan

Secret Recipe - Taipan

19, USJ 10/1G, Taipan

47630 Subang Jaya

Tel: +60356310039

Coordinates: 3.047253, 101.584426

After lunch, and a certain incident that left me cold with fury (see next post) we made our way to Taipan in Subang Jaya. Since Brendan was facing his first major exams in a couple of days, and since he had a hankering for some chocolate indulgence, we decided to indulge him (pun intended) and gave him a treat.

'indulging' himself? go at it boy:)

surprise, surprise:)

having his cake and eating it, heheh..

Cat surprised me by ordering the tiramisu (she is NOT a coffee person).

Tao Xiang

Tao Xiang Bak Kut Teh & Fish Head Curry Mee Hoon

2, Jalan Tiong Nam 5 
Off Jalan Raja Laut

50350 Kuala Lumpur

Coordinates: 3.165314, 101.695366

Brendan said he wanted BKT for lunch today. After a quick search through our fav site (http://food.malaysiamostwanted.com/) I found this place which was barely a mile away from our apartment.

Apparently it’s been in operation for a long while and its specialty is actually Fish Head Curry Mee Hoon. We were not Fish Head Curry kind of people, so we just stuck to BKT.

no proper signboard except for that yellowish plank

the claypot bak kut teh

they didn't serve yew char kueh (?)

less than enthusiastic diners:(

the kitchen left much to be desired (hygiene-wise)

The damage? A large clay pot meant for 2 servings, 3 plates of rice plus 3 iced barleys only set us back RM23. But honestly, after sampling their version of BKT we'd rather have Yu Kee any day.

Since we're no fans of Fish Head Curry Mee Hoon we'll probably give this place a pass next time. For one thing, they did NOT have the standard side order of char kueh... Oh, and Cat was none too impressed with the shop's hygiene (or lack thereof, if you know what I mean).

Fancy Mee (Closed)

Fancy Mee Corner Restaurant (爱面子)

(has since closed down)

15 Jalan 1/27B Desa Setapak

53300 Kuala Lumpur

+60341496288

Coordinates: 3.205594, 101.733381

Apparently Cat says the translation from Mandarin virtually means 'want face' or 'ai bin'; loosely translated as: seeking dignity or self-esteem?

Anyhow it’s our first time here having read some pretty upbeat reviews online. Due to its proximity to a large tertiary educational institution nearby, it’s quite popular with students. This is a good thing as for one its dishes are more inclined to be reasonably priced.

The other thing is students (tertiary or otherwise) get to enjoy 15% discount on the food and beverages (not applicable on weekends and public holidays). All they need to do is show their student IDs to enjoy the discounts. I think primary and secondary students need to be in uniform to enjoy the discount though.

Once there we found the first outlet (the one with wooden tables) to be full, so we made our way across the street to the second outlet (the one with aluminium tables)...

the 2nd outlet..

clean, simple and cheerful interiors

Brendan had.. chicken curry rice (even here boy?)

Hardly had to wait 5 minutes to be served

Cat had the dry pan mee with fried fish cakes..

While I had the dry pan mee with anchovies..

yummy yum yum:)

Brendan can hardly wait (as always)..

honey dew pearl milk tea & cincau milk..

time to put the camera away:)

The damage? Well, the pan mee was RM5.30 each while Brendan's curry chicken rice was RM5.50, drinks were a further RM2.80 (blackcurrant), RM2.90 (cincau milk) and RM3.90 (honey dew pearl milk tea) for a grand total of RM25.70 which is not bad considering its fully air-conditioned.

This works out to about RM8.50 per person which we thought was fair (all things considered).

The best part (as far as Cat is concerned)? No silly taxes (what with the Govt planning to tax prepaid usage, poppy cock!). Will we be back here again? You bet!

Cat will be here soon (the abundant hair salons offering extremely competitive prices caught her eye) as it's just a hop, skip and a jump from our condo (LRT-wise, that is). We could be coming here more often as well; there were more eating establishments begging to be explored... keep you posted:)

Rahmat Rezeki Rakyat

Rahmat Rezeki Rakyat (RRR)

12, Jalan Dang Wangi

City Centre

55000 Kuala Lumpur

Coordinates: 3.155694, 101.700556

This Mamak shop has been around a while but we've only recently discovered it. Location wise, if you know where CapSquare is, then you won't miss it.

I had rice with two pieces of beef, some bitter gourd and poppadoms (RM5.50), Brendan had his customary rice with chicken curry and poppadoms (RM4.50) while Cat had Rojak with mee (RM4.50). Together with drinks our bill came to RM19.60, which is quite a feat these days as the 3 of us are usually hard pressed to have lunch below RM20..

If you're familiar with CapSquare, its just at the corner..

the standard fare

Brendan's having.. what else?

Cat said it was just so-so..

Brendan & I enjoyed our rice though..

RRR now rivals 'Abang Abu' as our default Mamak shop these days, not bad for a newly discovered shop.

Hari Raya @ Shikin

For the record, Hari Raya Aidil Fitri (Eid-Ul Fitr) in Kuala Lumpur is depressing. If I were back in my hometown, we'd be out from dusk to dawn visiting one open house after another.. sigh.

Having said that, we were excited to attend a colleague's open house today for Hari Raya.. and were we happy we went!

Brendan started it off with satay..

lemang, ketupat, rendang, laksa, roti jala..

met another colleague (Murni) and her husband there as well..

Brendan devouring the lamb chop!

Shikin, Brendan & Cat..

The spread? Well now, where do I begin..

There was satay and its accompanying gravy, laksa penang, lemang & ketupat with beef and chicken rendang, roti jala and its accompanying potato curry, lamb chops, a variety of fresh fruits.. Safe to say we were quite stuffed by the time we were done. Another helping would have rendered me senseless!